A Colorado teenager hired men to kill his mother so he could use her money to get breast implants for his girlfriend, police said.
Nikita Lee Weis, 18, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, said Fountain, Colorado, Deputy Police Chief Mike Barnett. Weis’ mother, Hyun Weis, was attacked Thursday with a small wooden baseball bat at her home but escaped, authorities said. She was released Friday from a hospital.
His girlfriend, Sophia Nicole Alsept, and two men police said he hired, Juan Antonio Velez Gonzalez, 18, and Brandon Michael Soroka, 19, were also arrested on the charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Barnett said Weis wanted to sell his mother’s car and use money in her bank accounts to pay for breast implants for Alsept, 21.
Fountain is about 10 miles south of Colorado Springs.
The kid’s brain is about 10 miles north of nowhere. He has no heart.
I’m watching a show on Book TV about Brain Structure. Some of what/how we think is hardwired in our brains–nothing to do with values and morals.
A train will hit and kill 5 people unless you throw a switch. Throw the switch and the train goes down another track and will kill one person. 90% of all people think that is ok.
Now, same hypo but to throw the switch YOU have to throw a person onto that switch that will kill that person. Same end result as above will be reached but now 90% of people find that immoral.
Same with the kid here. Wants his mother to do it, but won’t do the killing himself.
Brain science.
Just to correct my post==the kid wants his mother dead, but won’t do it himself.
More relevantly, when the brain considers the two hypotheticals given, different areas light up. Sex, Age, Culture, Income, Education makes not difference, this 90/10 split shows up. Different groups of people have different explanations for why they switch their opinion===BUT ITS ALL DRIVEN BY THE STRUCTURE OF THE BRAIN.
Surely this has to apply to religion and other issues as well?
#2 – Bobbolina
>>Surely this has to apply to religion and other
>>issues as well?
Christ, you can’t let the religion thing go, can you.
I realize that your deeply-held religios beliefs are not the same as other people’s, but wtf.
Give it rest, will you?
These little shits needs to be put away for good.
#3–Well Mustard==why do people across time, culture, age, intelligence, education all make up creation myths?
I actually think its a Darwinian derived artifact of our language ability===but what is that but a brain structure?
SCIENCE Mustard, Science. The universe is not a random place other than our inability to understand. No magic, only science.
Mustard–why do human beings believe in things for which there is no evidence? I think calling it a brain structure artifact is explanatory whether or not it is true. Just a starting point for investigation.
What you gonna think when an area of the brain or a packet of 24 related genes can be destroyed and the person is no longer, gay, republican, or religious?
SATAN is just a specific protein coding sequence. Get used to it.
I’m not saying I agree, but I understand.
Well, she stuck the kid with a name like ‘Nikita’, so she better expect some resentment!
#5 – BObbolina
>>why do people across time, culture, age,
>>intelligence, education all make up creation
>>myths?
One explanation might be “because there’s something to them”.
Or are you arguing a from a Darwinian point of view, that they offer survival value?
Either way, your continuing mean-spirited berating of those who don’t share YOUR religious beliefs doesn’t do much for your reputation.
You should try being as tolerant of others’ religion as they are of yours.
#8 “One explanation might be “because there’s something to them”.”
Along that same line, what’s with the widespread dragon myths?
#9 – O’Furniture
>>Along that same line, what’s with the
>>widespread dragon myths?
Uh, those went out of fashion around King Arthur’s time.
I guess that’s the last time you ventured forth from Mom’s basement, huh? That’s probably why you didn’t know that Eminem is white?
#8–Mustard==and thereby you display what is wrong with religion.
What is “mean spirited” about proving the earth is more than 6000 years old? Or that the earth revolves around the Sun? Or that Darwin is the best explanation of species diversification.
Or in this case that our personalities/emotions/percecptions come from our brains and that our brains interpret the universe in ways that cause certain perceptions to predominate?
Your anti-science, anti-reality, anti-liberal luddite disposition is shown. Wouldn’t you like to know that in a real sense its not your fault, that with effort you could even over come it?
But who needs new knowledge when you can rest on the bible?
#10 “That’s probably why you didn’t know that Eminem is white?”
What’s an “Eminem”?
#11 – Bobbolina
>>What is “mean spirited” about proving the
>>earth is more than 6000 years old? Or that the
>>earth revolves around the Sun? Or that Darwin
>>is the best explanation of species
>>diversification.
Holy f&ck, Bobbolina? Are you jerking my chain? Or do you actually BELIEVE the hatemongering portrayal of spirituality as put forth on dvorak dot org slash blog?? Please tell me you’re jerking my chain. Nobody really believe that shit, do they? Or do you Atheists really think that all spiritual people are meth-and-man-ass whackos, or makeup abusers like Tammy Faye?? Gosh.
>>Your anti-science, anti-reality,
>>anti-liberal luddite disposition is shown.
Wowie. Now THERE’S something I’ve never been accused of.
For a self-proclaimed scientist, realist, liberal progressive (not to mention Master Logician), you sure come across like some redneck married to his sister.
Are you sure you’re not a troll, in here to stir up discussion of your candidate McBush?
Whatever you are, your religious leanings (Atheism) have certainly turned you into an intolerant bastard.
Mustard–yea, yea==I’m rubber and you are glue.
So==what will you think if a an area of the brain can be frozen or lasered and you wakeup not believing in God?==everything else is in place?
What if you can have a nanotube deliver a few genes to an embryo and in group A 99% grow up to believe in a god (remember the adjects vary immensely regarding the manisfestations of the concept==one of the biggest “logical” (sorry) arguments against its reasonableness) whereas the anti-god genes injected into group B results in 99% not believing in God?
What if god is a structure in the Brain? What if, Mustard??????
How is it mean spirited to ask the question?
More mean spirited to avoid the question and attack the messenger don’t you think? Isn’t that what your type did to Jesus??????
Intolerant stupid bastards.
hahahahahahahahah
OK, Boba. You’ve done what you do best. You’ve talked me to death.
I’d suggest that you lay off the sherry, though. You’re becoming incoherent.
>>Isn’t that what your type did to Jesus??????
Oh gosh…are you saying that I’m a Jew, and Jews are intolerant bastards?
Where’s that “J” when you need him?
So Mustard==you won’t even think about the ramifications, or you’ve thought about it and don’t want to post?
I suspect the former.
Everybody knows it was the EyeTalians that crucified Jesus. I haven’t seen the Jew card played in a long time. Bravo!
So==”what if.”
I’ll be Jesus now wishes he said, “don’t use me to be a douchebag.”
Geez guys… get a room! © 2007 John C. Dvorak
Make that a soundproof room.
Just got the chance to listen to “Root of All Evil – The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins” a 90 Minute BBC special.
Nice to hear a rational man of science confront the religious types. His big issue on this presentation was whether or not it was child abuse to indoctrinate children into religion before they could make up their own minds==as they are allowed to do with politics.
You could see the preachers haven’t been confronted in years as to how they formed their beliefs.
He quoted the guy that said paraphrased: “Without religion, good people would still do good things, and bad people would still do bad things. Only with religion do you get good people doing bad things.”
He also reminded us on how the New Testament is WORSE than the old Testament in that in brings in the idea of having to atone for sins past, present, and future or burn in hell forever. Thats a new book idea.
Religion.
#21 – Bobster
So what do you suggest? Banning religion? Burning ministers at the stake?
Religion is like Howard Stern or rap music. If you don’t like it, don’t partake.
Just leave other people the f&ck alone. Not everyone has to worship at the same altar you do.
#22–Musty==religion is a rot at the heart of our civilization. I would like to see it revealed for what it is as often and as publicly as possible until it dies out as a social institution. I won’t hold my breath.
I have the losing position at least for America and most of the world, but since you asked.
Stupidity, magical thinking, and the hate spewed by most religions or the idiotic offshoots therefrom affect everyone in the society. There is no being left alone from religion==who are you trying to kid?
#23 – Bobster
>>Stupidity, magical thinking, and the hate spewed by
>>most religions or the idiotic offshoots therefrom
>>affect everyone in the society. There is no being
>>left alone from religion==who are you trying to kid?
Man, you have more of a problem than I thought. Tell me you’re just jerking my chain. You’re spending waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on the Madlyn Murray O’Hare web site and watching the “Meth and Man Ass” video.
You’ve clearly never met an actual real-life religious person, if that’s really opinion.
Whew. Your ignorance takes my breath away.
#23–Mustard==off the top of my head, some issues that the religionist are bothering me about:
1. They form the core of the right wingnut base of the Repug party slanting elections for the last 2 goes giving us Born Again Bush.
2. They have dumbed down the science education in schools.
3. They agitate against easy access to abortion.
4. They are anti-gay marriage and in fact anti-gay.
5. They knock on my door 2 a year and leave literature in my mail box every other month.
6. I have had two employers that inculcated a religious atmosphere where small “volunteer” prayer groups were formed to promote employee morale (not!!)
Making lists is too anal for me, so I’ll stop. Oh==they are subverting border security with their sanctuary policies.
Mustard–maybe you gain comfort in your church and that is fine and maybe you aren’t out actively dumbing down America. Not every religious nutball is like you.
Maybe you guys should get a room at a Holiday Inn Express.
#25 “2. They have dumbed down the science education in schools.”
Well, since the teachers unions have pretty much ensured that kids can’t read nor write I think this is the least of our problems…
#27–Paddy==I don’t know if Hopper is tabooing this subject because it is off thread or not. I think this exchange between Mustard and Myself has been entirely reasonable with no justification for a muzzle.
But too your point and a return to something near the original post==unless “the kiddies can’t read” is code for they are reading something other than the bible, then I disagree.
I disagree as a fact matter. I think 99.99% of teachers want students to read and that 99.98% don’t do anything intentionally to interfere with that learning process.
That doesn’t mean that disruptive students and large class sizes and medical problems and lack of student preparation and attitude don’t interfere with this goal===but that doesn’t come from the teachers.
It may be that more teachers are less successful at getting students to WRITE critically. Writing is a skill layered onto and springing from reading.
Reading is the base. Thinking is possible because of what has been read. Writing is the highest culmination of education and thinking.
Obvious, our hero in the captioned story missed a few too many classes.
#28 “unless “the kiddies can’t read” is code for they are reading something other than the bible, then I disagree.”
What are you babbling about?
Literacy rates have been dropping for 25+ years.
Teachers & teachers unions have embraced and forwarded crap like “whole reading” for years.
#29–Paddy==I know its a lost cause to ask for cites, so for grins I googled myself.
I myself would be hardpressed to claim a decline in literacy when the overall rate is %99.0. “Maybe literacy means something other than what you think?” A challenge to your own literacy.
How Georgia achieved 100% would be interesting to know. I’ll bet they don’t employ any teachers from the USA?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate#endnote_d1